TOLEDO, Ohio — The Lucas County Sheriff's Office graduated 18 Lucas County correctional officers Thursday, triple the number who were sworn in last year.
Cadets marched in at the beginning of the ceremony in the Lucas County Commissioner Chambers in downtown Toledo to swear in as new officers. Soon, the new officers will work at the Lucas County Jail.
While they all might be wearing the same uniform, every single one of them has a different story. Seth Austin was one of the cadets.
"I was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome, so communication for me was always hard," Austin said.
He said his dad worked in the jail and it inspired him to get his certificate, which was a long time coming.
"With this job, you have to be able to communicate with others and do it well," Austin said. "I saw it as an obstacle to overcome."
Austin ended his graduation with a speech, wanting to tell his story. He scored the highest in the class on the state certification test.
Austin is one of the many officers who graduated Thursday, but Lucas County Sheriff Mike Navarre said with the current shortage of the jail, it's still not enough.
"It's pretty bad," Navarre said. "Even with these 18, I could use another 50 right now."
This class of cadets was trained differently than ones in the past because of the new Lucas County Jail that's under construction and set to open within the next few years.
Navarre said many improvements are planned for the new jail. It will have more beds and an on-site mental health facility, along with a new way of watching inmates through large open spaces with a 24/7 viewing center. This is something the new cadets have already been trained on.
"We're going to operate under a new inmate management philosophy," Navarre said. "But it is one that we exposed these graduates to during their academy class."
While the new cadets are being trained for the new jail, the Navarre said the sheriff's office is mostly worried about the current shortage. He said the new jail will reduce the number of workers needed.